DL-8 Digital Scholarship

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In today’s digital age, both scholars and amateurs have unprecedented access to vast amounts of data and information. But does access alone make one a true scholar? Digital scholarship demands more—it requires rigorous research, critical analysis, and ethical considerations. How can we ensure the credibility of information? What role does digital scholarship play in bridging the digital divide and fostering global collaboration? As we navigate this evolving landscape, how can we harness digital tools to transform research and knowledge sharing?

Key Aspects of Digital Scholarship:

Rigorous Research Standards: Digital scholarship maintains high standards of credibility and accuracy by adhering to rigorous research methodologies, critical analysis, and ethical considerations. This ensures that the produced knowledge is reliable and trustworthy.

Transformation of Research Practices: Digital scholarship revolutionizes traditional research practices by leveraging innovative digital tools and methodologies. It enhances collaboration across disciplines and geographical boundaries, fostering a more interconnected and dynamic research environment.

Addressing the Digital Divide: By promoting inclusivity and equal access to digital tools and resources, digital scholarship helps bridge the gap between those with and without access to technology. This is to ensure that all scholars and students can participate in and benefit from digital research.

Continuous Learning and Adaptation: The rapid pace of technological change requires scholars to continuously learn and adapt. Digital scholarship supports this ongoing professional development, enabling researchers to stay current with the latest tools and techniques.

Rapid Dissemination of Research: Digital platforms facilitate the swift sharing of research findings with a global audience. This rapid dissemination accelerates the spread of knowledge and allows for timely contributions to ongoing academic discussions.

Open Access and Collaboration: Digital scholarship promotes open access to scholarly resources, making research more widely available. It supports the creation and curation of open digital archives and databases, fostering a culture of openness and collaboration within the academic community.

Creative Commons Licenses: Authorship in digital scholarship is appreciated and protected through Creative Commons licenses. These licenses allow authors to share their work freely while retaining certain rights, encouraging a collaborative and open approach to knowledge sharing.

Practice:

Option 1.

Select a Digital Scholarly Resource: Choose a digital resource (e.g., a digital archive, online journal article, digital humanities project, online database) that you consider to be an example of digital scholarship in your subject area, field of study or a topic of interest.
Analyze the Resource: Consider how the resource you selected reflects the key aspects of digital scholarship:
- Rigorous Research Standards: How does the resource demonstrate its adherence to rigorous research standards? Consider its sources, methodology, peer review process (if applicable), and any evidence of critical analysis. Example: A peer-reviewed article from JSTOR* that includes a detailed methodology section, cites numerous primary and secondary sources, and has undergone a rigorous peer review process.
- Transformation of Research Practices: How does the resource utilize digital tools and methodologies in its creation, presentation and dissemination/access? Does it enhance collaboration or access to information in new ways? Example: Digital humanities project (Stanford) that uses interactive maps and data visualizations to present historical data, making it accessible to a broader audience and allowing for real-time updates and collaboration among researchers.
- Addressing the Digital Divide: Does the resource (or the platform it’s on) make any efforts to promote inclusivity or bridge the digital divide? Consider accessibility features, language options, or availability in different regions. Example: An online database that offers multilingual support, text-to-speech functionality, and is accessible from various devices, ensuring that users from different regions and with different needs can access the information (e.g. GitHub, Replit, w3schools).
- Continuous Learning and Adaptation: How does the resource (or the field it represents) demonstrate an awareness of the need for continuous learning and adaptation in the face of technological change? Are there any examples of evolving tools or methodologies being used? Example: A digital archive that regularly updates its interface and tools based on user feedback and technological advancements, ensuring that it remains relevant and user-friendly (Digital Public Library of America, Smithsonian Digital Collections, Internet Archive).
- Open Access and Collaboration: Is the resource openly accessible? Does it promote collaboration through shared data, open archives, or opportunities for community contribution? Example: A digital repository that provides open access to research papers and datasets, encouraging researchers to share their findings and collaborate on new projects (arXiv, bioRxiv, Figshare, Zenodo).
- Creative Commons Licenses: Are Creative Commons licenses used for any of the content in the resource? If so, how does this impact the sharing and reuse of the work?
Share Your Analysis: Write a brief summary. Add your message as a comment to this page.

Option 2.

Select a source intended for use by practitioners in your field. This could be a scholarly research article, a trade journal article, or a post from a well-respected online source in your field.
Analyze: how do practitioners in your field know to trust this source?
- Standards: How new ideas and new practices in your field come to be accepted as valid? How does practitioners in your field know to trust this source?
- Transformational Practices: How could this source promote interconnectedness in your field? How could it promote collaboration between your field and others? What potential does it have to change common ways that practitioners think or work?
- Addressing the Digital Divide: Does the resource (or the platform it’s on) make any efforts to promote inclusivity or bridge the digital divide? Consider accessibility features, language options, or availability in different regions. Example: An online database that offers multilingual support, text-to-speech functionality, and is accessible from various devices, ensuring that users from different regions and with different needs can access the information (e.g. GitHub, Replit, w3schools).
- Continuous Learning and Adaptation: How does the resource (or the field it represents) demonstrate an awareness of the need for continuous learning and adaptation in the face of technological change? Are there any examples of evolving tools or methodologies being used? Example: A digital archive that regularly updates its interface and tools based on user feedback and technological advancements, ensuring that it remains relevant and user-friendly (Digital Public Library of America, Smithsonian Digital Collections, Internet Archive).
- Open Access and Collaboration: Is the resource openly accessible? Does it promote collaboration through shared data, open archives, or opportunities for community contribution? Example: A digital repository that provides open access to research papers and datasets, encouraging researchers to share their findings and collaborate on new projects (arXiv, bioRxiv, Figshare, Zenodo).
- Creative Commons Licenses: Are Creative Commons licenses used for any of the content in the resource? If so, how does this impact the sharing and reuse of the work?
Share: Write a brief summary. Add your message as a comment to this page.

* Individuals not affiliated with educational institutions in Canada can still access JSTOR for free by creating a personal account. This account allows users to read a limited number of articles online for free each month

Resources

- Common Sense Media offers a wide range of existing lesson plans and recommended tools for educators.
- Check out the Digital Scholarship competency page for a wide selection of available digital tools.
- Chapter 11, Using Technology to Enhance Your Content, Not Detract from It, by Neil Kotch, in the Pressbook Applying Digital Experience Design to Teaching and Learning Environments.